LET'S GET THINGS STARTED.
MOMENTS AGO, THE NCAA
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED THE
CANCELLATION OF THE DIVISION I
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 2020
BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT.
THIS INCLUDES ALL REMAINING
WINTER AND SPRING INDIANAPOLIS
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
NEW INFORMATION HAS BEEN COMING
IN BY THE MINUTE, AND WE'VE BEEN
FOLLOWING IT ALL DAY.
ALSO, THE NJCAA RELEASED A
STATEMENT RECORDING DIVISION II
MEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT IN DANVILLE FOR NEXT
WEEK.
IT'S BEEN TENTATIVELY
RESCHEDULED FOR THE WEEK OF
APRIL 20th.
AND WE FIRST TOLD YOU ONLINE,
THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT WAS
CANCELLED.
THE FIRST TIME THAT'S HAPPENED
SINCE THE TOURNAMENT STARTED IN
1998.
THE ILLINOIS BASKETBALL TEAM WAS
SCHEDULE TODAY PLAY TOMORROW
AFTERNOON.
A LOT OF ILLINI FANS AS WELL AS
PLAYERS WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO
THE GAME AND TOURNAMENT WEEKEND.
OUR OWN TIM SINCLAIR WAS GOING
TO SERVE AS THE PUBLIC ADDRESS
ANNOUNCER FOR THE BIG TEN
TOURNAMENT GAMES.
HE JOINS US LIVE FROM
INDIANAPOLIS, ALONG WITH WCIA
3'S SPORTS' MARLEE WIERDA.
HEY, GUYS.
WHAT'S THE VIBE THERE IN INDY?
YEAH, HEATHER, THIS HAS BEEN
ABSOLUTELY A CRAZY COUPLE OF
HOURS FOR THE SPORTS WORLD.
IT'S JUST UNPRECEDENTED WHAT IS
HAPPENING NOW.
TIM, YOU WERE HERE THIS MORNING
WHEN THEY MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT
THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT WAS
CANCELLED.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE?
Tim: 48 HOURS AGO, I WAS
PULLING IN FOR A PACERS GAME AND
EVERYTHING WAS FINE.
IT WAS A FAIRLY FULL HOUSE.
BY WEDNESDAY, THINGS WERE
STARTING TO GET DICEY.
THIS MORNING, I THOUGHT FOR
SURE, I WAS GOING TO GET A PHONE
CALL SAYING IT WAS CANCELLED.
WHEN I DIDN'T, I THOUGHT ALL
RIGHT.
MAYBE THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE THIS
A SHOT.
WE SHOWED UP.
EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL EXCEPT FOR
THE FACT THERE WEREN'T FANS.
BUT WE KNEW THAT GOING IN.
ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE IT WAS
ALL SUPPOSED TO START, THE TEAMS
WERE ON THE COURT, WARMING UP.
THE OFFICIALS WALKED OUT.
I WAS READY FOR THE LINE-UPS AND
NATIONAL ANTHEM.
ALL OF THE SUDDEN, THEY SAID
CLEAR THE COURTS.
AND THE PLAYERS WENT BACK TO THE
LOCKER ROOMS.
THE OFFICIALS WENT TO THEIR
LOCKER ROOM.
THEY HANDED ME A SLIP OF I PAPER
TO READ, WHICH READ THE
TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
EVERYBODY GO HOME.
THAT'S WHAT WE HAD TO DO.
YEAH.
THIS HAS BEEN A DOMINO EFFECT
WE'VE BEEN SEEING.
IT STARTED WITH THE NCAA
ANNOUNCING THEY WERE NO LONGER
ALLOWING FANS AT THE TOURNAMENT.
THEN, THE BIG TEN MADE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WAS NO LONGER
ALLOWED LAST NIGHT.
THIS MORNING, WE HEARD THE BIG
TEN WAS CANCELLED AND NOW THE
NCAA IS CANCELLED.
THERE ARE SO MANY UNKNOWNS NOW
WHEN IT COMES TO JUST THE REST
OF THE SPORTS SEASON.
Tim: IT FEELS LIKE THE
N.B.A. LED THE WAY IN THAT LAST
NIGHT AFTER OUR FINAL GAME HERE.
I WAS WALKING BACK TO THE HOTEL
AND WAS READING ALL OF THE
SUDDEN THE N.B.A. WAS CANCELLING
ALL THEIR GAMES BECAUSE OF WHAT
HAPPENED IN UTAH.
THAT HAS STARTED THAT TRICKLE
DOWN EFFECT.
AND NOW IT FEELS LIKE EVERYTHING
IS UP FOR GRABS.
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, P.G.A.,
RACING WORLD.
IT FEELS LIKE BASEBALL, HOCKEY.
NOTHING IS SAFE AT THIS POINT.
AND I THINK EVERY HOUR THERE'S A
NEW UPDATE OR ANNOUNCEMENT.
YEAH, AS FAR AS WE KNOW FOR
THE ILLINOIS BASKETBALL TEAM,
THEY WERE SET TO PLAY FRIDAY.
BUT THEY'VE GONE HOME BACK TO
CHAMPAIGN.
CERTAINLY, DISAPPOINTING FOR ALL
THESE ATHLETES THAT WORKED SO
HARD TO GET TO THIS POINT AND
NOW DON'T GET TO COMPETE AND
FINISH THEIR SEASON.
Tim: I KNOW HOW DISAPPOINTED
I WAS I DIDN'T GET TO CALL THE
REST OF THE GAMES.
BUT I GET TO COME BACK NEXT
YEAR, RIGHT.
THESE GUYS WHO HAVE WORKED SO
HARD FOR THIS MOMENT, THEY DON'T
GET TO COME BACK.
IT'S THEIR LAST OPPORTUNITY:
FOR THOSE GUYS, YOU GOT TO FEEL
TERRIBLE BECAUSE THEY'VE WORKED
HARD TO GET HERE AND NOW THEY
DON'T GET TO PROVE ANYTHING IN
THE POST-SEASON.
YEAH, IT IMPACTS MORE THAN
THE PLAYERS AND FANS.
PEOPLE THAT WORK IN SPORTS, THE
GAME, YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO DOES
THAT.
TIM IS THE PUBLIC ADDRESS
ANNOUNCER FOR THE PACERS.
TIM, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR
PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT WORK THESE
GAMES ON A DAILY BASIS?
Tim: I TALKED WITH A LOT OF
PEOPLE INSIDE, INCLUDING JERRY,
A FRIEND OF MINE WHO WORKS
SECURITY AND SAYS NEXT WEEK, I'M
GOING TO BE UNEMPLOYED, BECAUSE
THERE AREN'T EVENTS FOR HIM TO
WORK.
HE AND I AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS
LIKE US, HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE.
WHEN YOU'RE PAID PER GAME OR
HOURLY BASIS AND THERE AREN'T
GAMES TO GO TO, YOU HAVE TO WAIT
UNTIL THERE'S GAMES TO GO TO.
EVERYBODY IS GOING TO BE FINE.
IT'S NOT AN ALARMIST SITUATION.
IT'S A YUCKY THING WE HAVE TO
DEAL WITH FOR 30 OR 60 DAYS.
I KNOW THINGS WILL COME BACK.
BUT LITERALLY EVERY SPORT I
WORK, HAS BEEN CANCELLED OR
POSTPONED.
NCAA, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER,
N.B.A.
I'LL GET TO DUST AROUND THE
HOUSE AND PASS TIME.
WORK THAT INTO MY SCHEDULE.
[LAUGHTER]
YOU'LL HAVE MORE FREE TIME.
JUST EVERYONE HEARING THIS NEWS
IS STUNNED.
AND AGAIN, THERE ARE STILL SO
MANY UNKNOWNS FOR WHAT THIS
MEANS FOR THE REST OF THE BIG
TEN.
BACK TO YOU.
Heather: ALL RIGHT.
THANKS, GUYS.
IT'S HEARTBREAKING ON SO MANY
LEVELS FROM THOSE FROM THE
JUNIOR HIGH TO COLLEGE AND
PROFESSIONAL LEVELS.